Juel Taylor

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Juel Taylor (born May 1, 1987) is a director and screenwriter. [1] He wrote Creed II (2018) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) with his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier. [2] Taylor and Rettenmaier wrote the movie They Cloned Tyrone (2023), which is also Taylor's first feature film as a director. [3] He has also directed several TV episodes and a short film. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Taylor was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. [1] Taylor largely based the fictional neighborhood in They Cloned Tyrone on the area where he grew up. [2] [3]

Taylor was initially interested in studying video game design when he attended college at the University of Florida. [2] His first introduction to making movies was a music video he created for his college's digital arts program. [2] Taylor then studied film as a graduate student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he met Rettenmaier. [3]

Career

In 2017, Taylor co-directed Actors Anonymous, [4] the feature film adaptation of James Franco's novel of the same name, Actors Anonymous , starring James Franco, Eric Roberts, Emma Rigby, Scott Haze, Jake Robbins, Carmen Argenziano, and Horatio Sanz. The film screened at Cinequest [5] and the Newport Beach Film Festival. [6]

Taylor co-wrote Creed II (2018) alongside Sylvester Stallone, featuring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Steve Caple Jr. He also co-wrote Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) with his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier, starring LeBron James and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. [7]

Taylor's feature directorial debut, They Cloned Tyrone , starring John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Paris, and Kiefer Sutherland, released on Netflix in 2023. [8] He co-wrote the screenplay with Tony Rettenmaier. [9]

Taylor cites questions around blame and responsibility and experiences with friends in unfortunate circumstances as the inspiration for They Cloned Tyrone. [10] Taylor and Rettenmaier initially pitched They Cloned Tyrone in 2018, not yet having written the script and while working on other films. [3] The draft changed through the pitching process, eventually leading to They Cloned Tyrone being produced as a Netflix feature film. [11] In the editing process, Taylor cited Guillermo del Toro for his help on several scenes. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Juel Taylor | Sound Department, Writer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ugwu, Reggie (2023-07-21). "The Personal Back Story Driving 'They Cloned Tyrone'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Creating Time and Space with 'They Cloned Tyrone' Filmmakers Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier". Script Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  4. ↑ Aitkenhead, Melanie; Corbin, Abi Damaris; Duffy, Shaun (2017-03-05), Actors Anonymous (Drama), Scott Haze, Jake Robbins, James Franco, Elysium Bandini Studios, RabbitBandini Productions, retrieved 2024-03-05
  5. ↑ "Actors Anonymous | Cinequest". cinequest.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  6. ↑ Penaloza, Si Si (2017-04-29). "The Newport Beach Film Festival Goes Deeper". JetsetMag.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  7. ↑ Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) - IMDb , retrieved 2024-03-05
  8. ↑ "Everything You Need to Know About 'They Cloned Tyrone'". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Juel (2023-07-21), They Cloned Tyrone (Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi), John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Federal Films, MACRO, Made With Love Media, retrieved 2024-03-05
  10. ↑ Detrow, Scott (July 14, 2023). "John Boyega and Juel Taylor talk new existential thriller 'They Cloned Tyrone'". All Things Considered (NPR). Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Davids, Brian (2023-08-13). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Filmmaker Juel Taylor Talks the Epilogue and Editing With Guillermo del Toro". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
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